Pitchfork
July 28, 2011
Link
7.1
Earlier this year, Mike Simonetti released a limited-edition picture disc of disco re-edits called I'm Getting Too Old for This Shit. Age has nothing to to with it, but the New Jersey-based founder of the labels Troubleman Unlimited, Italians Do It Better, and, most recently, Perseo, has without a doubt enjoyed a lengthy and meandering role in the world of relatively underground music. For all the many releases Simonetti has overseen at his labels, ranging from hardcore to Italo disco, Capricorn Rising is the first record of original material to appear solely under his own name.
On the evidence here, Simonetti is definitively not too old for this, though like many artists with full creative control he can sometimes be a bit indulgent. At nearly 39 minutes, the EP is longer than plenty of albums, but 21 of those minutes are given over to a single song, advance mp3 "Third of the Storms", which appears in three separate instances. Mesmerizing chill-out disco that sets an innocently chiming melody atop handclaps, driving krautrock bass, droning washes of synth, and occasional idyllic sound effects, the song makes a fine bookend to the record: On the opening, vocal version, Australian electro-R&B smoothie Sam Sparro adds multi-layered, chant-like repetitions conveying a sense of joyful fatalism, while the closing, instrumental take leaves more room for the track to breathe; each is excellent depending on your mood, though as with disco singles like this since time immemorial, you probably won't want to listen to both cuts in the same sitting (that's not a criticism). As a centerpiece, though, "Third of the Storms (Acapulco)" disappoints; more or less five minutes of Sparro's already-familiar incantations over sparse, monotonous backing, it almost could have been called "Third of the Storms (A Cappella)".
Elsewhere, Capricorn offers another four cuts in a similarly hypnotic, synth-based mold. The best is the title track, with pulse-raising electronics and wisps of breath that suggest a mechanically precise jogger; Blade Runner would be too obvious a reference point for a crate digger like Simonetti, but given this track's sci-fi synthesis of chilly electronics and thriller suspense, a comparison to that classic film (and its equally classic score by Vangelis) can't be too far off the mark. Just as seamless is pounding synth workout "Song for Luca", the longest non-"Third of the Storms" piece here, building to a climax that belies its Balearic calm. Simonetti also detours into humming ambient textures, on "Dust Devil", and a mournful keyboard reflection, "Renko's Theme", which has a rich, yacht-friendly pomp. The end result is a worthwhile stepping-out EP from a longtime behind-the-scenes player, and if its worst crime is excess, well, we're talking about a record with an ice cream sundae on the cover.
